Remember when South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said last year that Alabama could beat some NFL teams? Georgia coach Mark Richt this week tried to one-up him in terms of hyperbole when asked about an opponent.

According to the Macon Telegraph and other outlets, Richt was asked at a Georgia fan day event on Monday who would be tougher to game plan against, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel or South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Richt chose Manziel, noting that Clowney was easier to scheme against because of his position -- you know where he's going to line up. But he quickly added that this doesn't mean he doesn't think Clowney is a great player.

Quite the contrary.

"I would say Clowney is the best football player in the world though," Richt said, as quoted by the Telegraph. "Seriously. I think he might be the very best player who exists today, at any level."

Richt and the Bulldogs, like most of South Carolina's opponents, have had their share of trouble handling Clowney, who had a sack and a game-deciding forced fumble against Georgia two years ago and a sack and two tackles for loss last year.